


Fake Dates (And Other Mistakes)

by MoonlightShines (Thatkillervibe)



Series: Killervibe Week 2019 [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Mutual Pining, Pining, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2020-09-26 01:17:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20381305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatkillervibe/pseuds/MoonlightShines
Summary: Caitlin dumped out her bribe onto Cisco’s Ikea bed. Five packs of twizzlers, four of jujubes, three Funko pops and a VIP pass to the upcoming comic-con she had sprung in a bet from Barry.“Do I need a shovel?” said Cisco, staring at the loot. “I think I need to buy a shovel.  Did you kill somebody? Oh my god, are we burying a body?”Caitlin’s grip tightened on the candy bag with crazed eyes. “I need you to be my boyfriend.”





	Fake Dates (And Other Mistakes)

**Author's Note:**

> It's my birthday, here have 14k of fluff. 
> 
> HAPPY KILLERVIBE WEEK!

Caitlin dumped out her bribe onto Cisco’s Ikea bed. Five packs of twizzlers, four of jujubes, three Funko pops and a VIP pass to the upcoming comic-con she had sprung in a bet from Barry. 

“Do I need a shovel?” said Cisco, staring at the loot. “I think I need to buy a shovel. Did you kill somebody? Oh my god, are we burying a body?” 

“—And, I’ll even throw in my free counsel on two term papers before finals.” 

“You do that anyway.” 

“I’ll actively look out for typos this time.” 

Cisco opened a pack of twizzlers and stuck one in his mouth. Leaning back against his headrest, he crossed his arms and looked Caitlin up and down. _ “Spill.” _

Caitlin’s grip tightened on the candy bag, with crazed eyes. “I _ need _you to be my boyfriend.” 

“Uh,” Cisco said, sitting upright. “Caitlin.” His laugh came out a little strained. “I didn’t know you felt that way about me.” 

Caitlin’s eyes widened. “—Wait. No—” 

“Look, I know you grew up sheltered, but usually when a girl likes a guy, they ask them out, you know..._ Nicely_, over a coffee, or dinner. Or a picnic on campus, if they’re short on change. It’s not really romantic to be bribed with _ Stranger Things _pop vinyls.” He looked at them, considering. “I mean. Almost. You almost had me. 75% there, maybe.” 

Cisco removed the twizzler from his mouth, holding it like a cigarette. “The candy’s nice though, I have to admit.” 

“Ew! No! I’m not asking you_ out_, Cisco.” 

“No?” 

Caitlin frowned. “What? What’s that look for?” 

“No reason. Continue.” 

Caitlin shoved the loot aside, plopping down diagonally on Cisco’s bed so that his head were by her socked feet. The curtain partition that separated Cisco’s side of the dorm from Ralph’s moved in the breeze from the ceiling fan. She stared as it swayed back and forth, tapping her fingers against his sheets.

“Ronnie’s coming to town this weekend. And I need him to believe I’m not a total loser.” 

“You’re not a total loser,” Cisco said diplomatically, throwing her a jujube. 

“Thanks,” she said, catching it. She studied the gummy, squishing it between her thumb and index finger. “But I am. I haven’t dated anyone since we broke up in high school and he’s bringing his hot new girlfriend and—Cisco, she’s so beautiful and smart and is all over his Instagram and snapchat stories, and they look like they’re just _ crushing it _together in California. And he has that internship, you know the one. He deserves that. He does. It’s just...I think about what I’ve been doing here since college started and—there’s no fun. No new guys. I won’t even have anything interesting to tell him. I just feel like I should be...at his level.”

Cisco propped himself up on his elbows to give her a serious look of disapproval. She shrunk under his gaze, feeling the stupidity of it all. Yeah, yeah. She’s getting sucked into the superficiality of college life from television shows and glorified expectations with maybe a touch of green eyed monster. 

“Caitlin.” 

“I knooooooow,” she moaned, muffled from her jujube chewing. She made grabby hands at him to pass her more and he dumped a whole heap onto her blouse. “It was a moment of weakness.” 

“Your life is fine. You’re nice. You’re pretty. You get complimented, like, all the time. You’re a hardworking, studious pre-med student who spends her time volunteering at the campus clinic, and still manages to be the best friend this guy could ask for. Ronnie knows all of that already. You won’t impress him by saying we’re dating.” 

Caitlin blushed. Cisco Ramon, everybody. If only she heard this last night. 

“Except I did,” she said, sheepish. 

Cisco frowned in silence. 

Caitlin blushed harder. 

“Ah.” Cisco nodded as it all clicked. “Gotcha now.” He didn’t seem very pleased. 

“I’m sorry!” she blurted out. “I got you the VIP comic-con tickets, I know I’m an idiot, please help me.” 

“Ticket. You got me a VIP comic-con ticket. As in _ singular _ as in not _ plural _ as in I’d have to go by _ myself,_” Cisco grumbled under his breath. They both knew that wasn’t what he was really mad about. _ “Caitlin.” _

She sat up, biting her lip. The candy tumbled out of her lap. “It’s just _ one _weekend. Half of our chem lab thought we were an item anyway, and it’s not like we did anything for them to think that.” 

“Yeah, and it cost me Kendra,” Cisco pointed out, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t know if I could just _ pretend _ to be in love with you. Not to fool someone who already knows me.” 

Caitlin bristled. “Nobody said anything about acting in love. We’d just be two twenty year olds who’ve been friends since middle school and are now...holding hands? Going on double dates?”

“Holding hands?” Cisco deadpanned. “That’s what you call dating in 2019?” 

“Cisco. Please.” 

He let out this enormous sigh, like this was the worst thing Caitlin has ever suggested, the worst thing they could ever do, not like she hadn’t once had to drag him home, drunk from Iris’s 2018 Halloween party with two dead phones and a single available taxi.

Like this forty-eight hour affair wouldn’t be something they could easily fake if they just didn’t make a big deal out of it and let it die. Something they could laugh together about in ten years. 

Cisco eyed the Dustin pop vinyl and opened the packaging, refusing to meet her eyes when she let out a delighted squeal. “Can you get me the Hopper one too?” The smile he was fighting down took over, lifting the corner of his mouth. 

“I’ll go to the mall first thing tomorrow.”

~.~ 

They greeted Ronnie and his new girlfriend Sam at the funfair in town that Saturday.

Cisco and Caitlin got there early. The two of them going over every detail about their very fabricated romantic relationship in the rickety cabin of the newly erected ferris wheel.

They practised the important stories like the How’d It Happened, The First Kiss and the What’s New until they were able to recite it forwards and backwards and through mime. They agreed on a set of rules. There was to be no making out, or excessive kissing or over the top mushy PDA, as Ronnie knew that wasn’t how Caitlin liked things anyways.

There wasn’t any point to jeopardize the entire plot by Caitlin making grossed out faces every time he tried to plant one on her. And there were going to be _ no _ new pet names Caitlin stressed, because the list Cisco had already was a mile long and mortifying enough, and those were based on the Snow thing alone. 

But Cisco’s arm wrapped snugly around her waist with ease as she waved Ronnie and Sam over, and Caitlin felt a tinge to her cheeks at the closeness of it, so suddenly without practice. She began to wonder if this would really be so seamless after all. 

“Caitlin. Hey!” Ronnie smiled as he hugged her. He only grew taller and more handsome in the years since they last caught up. Ronnie came in for a second hug with Cisco, right into his free open arm. 

  
“Nice to see you, man.” 

“You too!” Ronnie shook himself loose, still pent up from the long drive. He turned his head to Sam and introduced her to them. 

She was petite, with sparkling brown eyes and kinky blonde hair. She studied robotics, and wore little microchips as earrings. Sam jumped excitedly in her overall dress, latching onto Caitlin’s arm right away. “Ronnie told me so much about you guys. How you used to call yourselves The Three Musketeers?” 

“Oh man,” Cisco groaned at the memory. “No, it was The Three Amigos. We were babies then.” 

Ronnie chuckled, watching as his girlfriend chatted with his old friends. 

“Do you guys want to get some food?” 

“Sure,” Cisco said, reaching for Caitlin again. His arm went back around her side and they walked to the line of food trucks. 

Things got complicated when Cisco tried to pay for Caitlin’s meal. 

“What are you doing?” she hissed into his ear when he tried to hand his twenty to the guy in the window. Cisco had to stand on his tiptoes to reach. “I can pay for myself.” 

“We’re on a date,” Cisco replied. “I’m not making you pay.” 

Caitlin’s face twisted funny.

“That’ll be 16$.” 

“Yeah,” Cisco held out a finger for the server to wait. “One minute.” 

He turned back around. “Are we really about to argue over the appropriateness of heteronormative chivalrousness on our _ fake date?” _

“Shh!” 

“Shh yourself. Ronnie is getting napkins with Sam. He doesn’t have super hearing.” 

“If he doesn’t have super _ hearing_, then he doesn’t have super _ sight_, and won’t even see this anyway,” said Caitlin.

“I’ve paid for ice cream cones and Tylenol for you from the campus store before for free. What’s the big deal?” 

“That’s when we were friends,” Caitlin explained exasperatedly. 

Cisco blinked. “So you mean to say...because we’re pretending to date, that no longer qualifies us as friends anymore?” 

Okay. He had a point. 

_ “Cisco. _Can you let this go?” 

“Dude?” Said Chicken and Waffles. “Duuuuude?” 

“Will you just let me pay the poor guy?” 

“This wasn’t part of our plan,” Caitlin complained. 

“We never discussed it. What, so we’re the kind of couple who splits every bill in half?” 

“We’re not a real couple.” 

“Dude? You’re holding up the line.” 

Caitlin slapped two tens on the metal kiosk tray. “There. I’m paying for both of us.” 

“No, you’re not!” Cisco slapped his hand over the Waffles & Chicken man’s hairy one, shooting him an awkward smile. “She’s not.” 

“Uh,” said Waffles & Chicken. He slid his hand from under Cisco’s grasp and looked into the kitchen. “Your orders are ready.”

Waffles & Chicken looked at the money on the counter and took the two tens, handing Caitlin the change. 

She smirked victoriously as Cisco was handed the containers. Cisco rolled his eyes. 

“Hey!” Sam yelled over the small crowd created by the hold up. “Do you guys need ketchup?” 

“Yeah,” Cisco called, taking Caitlin’s hand and squeezing it tightly. Too tight. Caitlin stomped on his foot then smiled extra wide at Ronnie, waiting for them.

“We’re coming!” 

“So when did you two become lovebirds?” Ronnie finally asked after Sam won him a plush Sylvester the cat at the dart throwing booth. He adjusted his hold on his prize under his arm, cocking an eyebrow at the two. Carnival music blasted from the speakers all around the field the funfair was held at, and Ronnie had to raise his voice to be heard. 

Cisco and Caitlin shared a look as Caitlin steadied her breath. 

“...Well,” Caitlin began, hoping she sounded coy, and not nervous as butterflies invaded her stomach at the first major fib. “It hasn’t been that long. About two months.” 

“Yeah. Ralph, my roommate, lost his keys, so I let him borrow mine. By the time my evening class was done, he wasn’t home yet, so I was stuck sitting outside the dorm waiting for him to come back.” 

“And I was on my way over anyways, because I had a question about our lab assignment due the next day,” Caitlin added in. “I nearly tripped over him on the floor.” 

Cisco shrugged, rueful. “She waited with me in the hallway until Ralph came back. We ended up talking all night and something clicked.” He glanced back at Caitlin, and leaned forward, tucking a stray strand of her hair out of her face. His fingertips brushed against the skin of her cheek, soft pads with a touch of warmth, glazing. Caitlin froze. “We’re more than just best friends. We’re made for each other.”

That was _ not _ in the script. 

It was not the words Cisco said but the way he said them. A confidence that transcended mere acting, like he breathed life into them, made them true by sounding sincere and looking into her eyes intently. He made it sound like he could recite it in his sleep, on his deathbed, upside down and still mean it. 

But what did it actually mean. 

Sam nearly swooned, in love with the story. “You had _ chemistry.” _

Ronnie snorted. “Nerds.” 

Caitlin’s throat went dry, desperately trying to reboot her brain. She couldn’t. She swallowed and blinked. Because what if it sounded so true because it was? What if only one careful touch to her face and a string of words could tilt her world sideways to see Cisco in a new light? 

“Look,” Sam nudged Ronnie’s elbow, snickering. “Caitlin’s mesmerized. He broke her.” 

“She gets like that sometimes,” Cisco smirked, but her wrapped his arm around her like a blanket, protecting them from their badgering. He cared that she felt embarrassed, Cisco cares about how she feels about getting tripped up over him. “Don’t tease her.” 

Her eyes slid over to meet his, but his were alight with mischief. Caitlin shrunk into herself, his arm around her not helping this new hot, lightheaded feeling she had. It was a game, she can’t get caught up like this. This is pretend. This is the pretend she asked of him. It was a joke. 

Ronnie and Sam ran along ahead to the arcade while Cisco tugged Caitlin leisurely behind. “You okay?” he asked gently, all teasing gone. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm, as if she were chilled and not on fire. “Was that too much?”

“I—No.” She swallowed again. “They bought it.” 

So did she. For a moment. 

Cisco smiled at her again the way he did when he fixed her hair, but there was nobody around for show. 

~.~ 

Cisco hopped up onto the side counter of the Whack-A-Mole kiosk, watching children smash squeaky rodents with a comically large rubber hammer. 

Caitlin tried not to roll her eyes. “You want to play, don’t you?” 

Cisco bit his lip, eyeing Ronnie’s stuffed Sylvester. “No,” he lied. 

Caitlin sighed, digging around for the spare change from the Chicken & Waffles. “Go ahead.” 

Cisco beamed, jumping down from the perch with excitement. 

A younger boy rolled his eyes at him. “Are you serious? I’m gonna cream you.” 

Cisco laughed. “Oh, you wanna bet?” 

“I don’t need to bet on it,” the kid snapped. “I’ve been Whacking Moles since I was ten.”

Ronnie hid his snort and came to Cisco’s defense. “We’re engineering students. We _ made _our own carnival games when we were ten.” 

Cisco nodded, and glanced back at the girls. “Damn right. And my Novia de Nieve can attest to that too.” 

Caitlin went crimson. “Oh my god, you just didn’t.”

Sam cocked her head to the side, whispering into Caitlin’s ear. “What did he just call you?” 

“Something in Spanish,” Caitlin surmised. He’d called her de Nieve before. It meant ‘of Snow’. Caitlin begrudgingly admitted that it sounded better in Spanish than in English, but it didn’t mean it was something she was just going to let him get away with.

He loved teasing her with snow related puns and it used to drive her up the _ wall, _especially since she couldn’t come up with anything to use as revenge. Caitlin crossed her arms and grumbled, coming up blank yet again. Francisco Ramon was a pretty solid name. Cisco was looking smug at her reaction, smirking proudly.

She hated how much he was enjoying this. Caitlin was definitely going to nag at him later. 

Ronnie decided to play too. The boys went full out, taking off their jackets to flex their muscles to intimidate the boys smack talking them. Caitlin knew about Ronnie’s arms, she obsessed over them in the ninth grade with Lily Stein, but she found herself lingering now on Cisco’s. 

Cisco handed the man in charge of the booth Caitlin’s change, and narrowed his eyes at the twelve year old boy he was up against. 

He always wore graphic tees, it wasn’t the first time she’s seen them, but his biceps were in action now, as the music ramped up and the boys started smashing. Cisco took the game ridiculously seriously, frowning with concentration as he whacked the moles. He was good at it too, banging against the plastic hard enough to make it shake. 

What’s wrong with her?? Why is Caitlin freaking out over _ arms? _

Cisco and Ronnie won the game, and they were offered the option to bring home a gigantic plush, or two smaller ones. 

Ronnie bowed out, having already Sylvester to lug around that Sam won him, so Cisco chose two Care Bears. 

He held them out to Caitlin. “Which one do you want?” 

“The blue one?” 

“Grumpy? Really?” Cisco handed it to her as she took it gingerly. “Works for me. I’ll take Funshine any day.” 

“You know the names of all the Care Bears?” Caitlin deadpanned. 

“You’re my girlfriend,” Cisco whined loudly as the four headed towards the ferris wheel. “You’re not supposed to make fun of me!” 

“Yeah Cait,” Ronnie chimed in. “You knew what you signed yourself up for.” 

No, she really didn’t. Ronnie and Sam wanted to go on the ferris wheel even though Cisco and Caitlin already went. Cisco asked if they wanted to split up and try the swings instead, but Caitlin knew Ronnie was over for only a short weekend, and wanted to catch up. The ferris wheel was fun, she didn’t mind repeating it. And it had a different ambiance now that it was dark, so they all decided they’d go together and then call it a night. 

Cisco stopped for some Cotton Candy before the line for the ride and offered it to her. “Here.” 

“For me?” 

“I’m sorry about what happened at Chicken & Waffles. I was being stupid.” 

Caitlin was taken aback. “—No, we both were.” 

“Yeah, but I was the one who wouldn’t let it go. I’m also sorry for improvising at the end of the How’d It Happened story. I didn’t mean to catch you off guard. And I know the nickname made you uncomfortable. I’ll stop.” 

Caitlin bit her tongue. It wasn’t exactly that she wanted him to stop. It wasn’t even that she hated it. He was only acting his part, doing what she was asking him to. And he was the one really selling this show. In fact, Caitlin hadn’t even said much of anything, only standing stiffly next to his side, nodding along, saying her lines.

Cisco was the one who made it more natural. His improv was good, he was a good actor. Caitlin was the one who was not. She was not good at acting cool. And she was especially not good at pretending to be fine when something was making her nervous.

She was putting effort into trying to quell the sweat in her palm while he held it, or ignoring the hair sticking up at the back of her neck ever since he did the damn thing with his hand and her stupid stray stand of hair. She was uncomfortable because- 

Cisco grabbed a handful of the pink candy and shoved it into his mouth. Caitlin blinked. Her thoughts were interrupted. 

“‘M sorry!” he said around his muffled mouthful. He swallowed, licking the sticky off his fingers. “I swear the rest is yours, it was just there tempting me with its delicious cotton candyness.”

Her gaze fell to his mouth. It was distracting. But then he removed his fingers revealing the red syrup on his lips. Caitlin couldn’t help bursting into an unexplainable bout of nervous giggles. 

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked, as Caitlin clutched at her stomach with her free hand, Grumpy wedged underneath her elbow as she gripped onto the cone with her other. 

Cisco raised his eyebrows, watching her with fond amusement. “I don’t know.” 

“She’s probably drunk in love,” Sam joked. 

Ronnie shook his head at them as they made their way through the barricades sectioned off for the Ferris Wheel line. 

“Yeah,” Cisco said, sounding a little lost. “Maybe.” 

~.~

The Ferris Wheel sobered Caitlin down. Especially because it was freezing so high off the ground. She leaned her head against Cisco’s shoulder, listening to Ronnie talk about his program at UCLA as Cisco ate off the rest of her cotton candy stick. His arm was wrapped around her waist again. She hadn’t even noticed he did that again until he shifted, and his hand brushed against her skin as her shirt rode up from the movement. Caitlin shivered. 

“Are you cold?” 

She was, but that wasn’t what made her do that. Cisco pulled his arm back from around her waist, and Caitlin protested weakly, then strongly when she saw what he was going to do. 

He draped his favourite green jacket over her shoulders. Caitlin couldn’t even muster up the words to say thank you, shrinking into the feeling of wearing his worn out well-loved piece of clothes. It felt intimate. More so than she had expected. 

“Better?” 

Caitlin nodded. 

He really was her best friend. The only one who could knock on her door at three AM to successfully drag her out to a 24/7 diner for a lament and a basket of fries. Iris tried many times, but just couldn’t pull the same trick that somehow got her to wake up. He was the one with the extra ziplock candy bag in his backpack with her name on it. The one who thought of her becoming a doctor to go into research to be a kickass awesome idea the moment she decided it.

The one who she spent her summers with Ronnie and Lily Stein back when she still wore ribbons in her hair. And she was the one for him who didn’t laugh at his ambitions. Who had fun hypothesizing alternate universes or multi-dimensions with him, who he watched stupid movies with, and always laughed at his accurate secret nicknames for their teachers and profs. 

He was just being friendly, but there was something about the way he looked at her, then the night-lit city below, then her again, with a quiet smile that Caitlin could only call tender. Wished it, maybe. 

She liked the way Cisco looked at her then. She thought it was fear. Shock. Maybe a little horrification from the possibility of Cisco giving her gooey eyes. But no. Her heart squeezed like an orange in a juicer. 

Caitlin put her head back against his shoulder and watched the little houses and people below. His hand slipped back around her waist, casually, returning to the chat with their friends. 

She shivered again. 

Caitlin tried to shrug off Cisco’s coat when they dismantled the ride. It wasn’t nearly as chilly anymore. Not under the bright fluorescent lights fixated by every kiosk. 

Cisco held out his hand, shaking his head. “Keep it until tomorrow.” He looked behind, and lowered his voice. “It’ll add a layer of authenticity.” 

Caitlin couldn’t argue with that. 

“Besides,” he looked her over. “It suits you.” 

“Cisco, what does Novia de Nieve mean?” Caitlin blurted. 

A funny look passed over Cisco’s face, but it smoothed out quickly. “Uh, well literally, it means Snowy Girlfriend. But I was thinking it more like Snow Bride.” 

“Okay,” she said. 

“Okay what?” 

“You can call me that.” 

Ronnie groaned, clapping both of their backs. They jumped. “Just get married already.” 

Sam overheard that part and grabbed Caitlin’s arm, teasing them. “Oh my god, yes and it should be a winter wedding, then he can call you that in his wedding vows and it would be so cute!” She turned to Ronnie. “Babe, isn’t that cute?” 

“A bit _too_ cute,” Ronnie supplied. “Here, hop on.” 

He bent down for Sam to climb onto his back so she could sit on his shoulders as they walked to his pick up truck. Ronnie gripped at her legs as she held onto his Sylvester. 

Cisco raised an eyebrow at the pair. “Wow,” he said. 

Caitlin agreed. “We’re not doing that,” she told him firmly. 

“Nope. I’m flattered you think I could even pull that off.” 

“You guys coming or what?” yelled Sam, twisting to stick her tongue out at them. 

Cisco grabbed her hand again and replied, “Or what!” 

~.~ 

Cisco dropped her off at her dorm after their double date. 

“That went well, don’t you think?” Cisco had let go of her hand the moment Ronnie and Sam drove off in Ronnie’s truck. They were staying at a cheap bed and breakfast nearby campus. Caitlin’s hand clenched at the feeling of emptiness, growing used to the warmth. “Sam is really nice. I like her.” 

Caitlin stared at the ground. “She’s...bubbly,” she admitted. And bold. And really affectionate. And chatty. And smart. 

Cisco put his finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. Caitlin gulped as he did so. He’d done this since they were twelve. Caitlin would get all wrapped up in her thoughts and he’d be calling her name while her mind was in outer space, and he’d lift her chin to pull her out of it with his boyish smile and a _ “Caitlin! Paging Caitlin Snow!” _

It was supposed to be harmless. It was supposed to be one of their Things. It wasn’t supposed to make her face burn. It was not supposed to make her breath hitch in her throat. She was not supposed to be caught in her best friend’s gaze, wonderstruck. 

“Don’t fall into a rabbit hole,” he warned, surprising her. “You are lovely and so is Sam. Stop comparing yourself to her.” 

Caitlin struggled with her words. “I’m not,” she eventually managed. 

He looked unconvinced, but he lowered his hand, sticking it into his pocket. “I’m not going to continue doing this if it’s your secret way of getting back with Ronnie. He’s really happy with her and he’s my friend too. I don’t like lying to him, but I don’t want to see you embarrassed either. So we’ll do what we have to do, but when it’s over we’re gonna talk about this.” 

“—Okay,” she agreed meekly. 

  
Cisco’s concern lifted from his face, his stern lecture over. “I had a lot of fun though. I creamed those obnoxious kids.” 

  
“You sure did.” 

Cisco glanced at her bear. “Don’t get too comfortable now with Grumpy.” 

Caitlin looked at the bear too. “What, are you jealous?” 

“Of that cute face stealing my best friend? Definitely.” 

Caitlin giggled again, couldn’t help it. She internally frowned at herself. She was starting to sound like Barry around Iris to her own ears. 

“So we’re on for tomorrow? Brunch?” 

She nodded. “And then the drive-in theatre.” 

“Sounds fun.” Cisco knocked her shoulder with a wink. “See you later _ girlfriend.” _

Somehow, that word sent a rush of warmth all the way down to her toes. It hit her, then. What this was. What this weird giggling and blushing, and awkwardness all was. Caitlin froze for the tenth time that day. 

She had developed a _ crush _ on Cisco. Cisco Ramon. Francisco Ramon. A crush. Her. Caitlin Snow. On Cisco. The boy standing right in front of her with a care bear. Her best friend ever. A crush. A massive one. Like, an all consuming hot on fire one.

Caitlin was going to _ die. _

  
He furrowed his brow when she didn’t wrinkle her nose right away.

“Right,” she choked out. She opened the door to her dorm, and immediately saw Iris was waiting for her. She turned around quickly to wave at Cisco. 

“OkaybyeI’lltextyoutomorrowsee you!” Caitlin slammed the door. 

“Hey,” said Iris from her blogging chair. 

Caitlin dropped Grumpy and her purse on the ground, loosened her ponytail and flopped onto Iris’ bed. 

“Um.” 

Caitlin grabbed the decorative pillow and screamed into it. 

“Wow.”

Iris kept blogging because Caitlin could hear the clicks of the keyboard, but the noise stopped eventually, most likely Iris having had enough. 

“It was that bad?” 

“NO.”

Iris made an ungodly high pitched sound. “Oh my god! Oh my god, did he kiss you!?”

Caitlin removed the pillow, all red._ “No! _ ...he touched my _ hair.” _

“Your hair.”

“And then my face!”

Iris burst out laughing and Caitlin glared as her roommate fell to the floor in hysterics. 

“It’s not funny!” Caitlin hissed, throwing the pillow at her. It hit Iris smack in the face. She collapsed, clutching at her pillow in _ tears _. 

“Oh honey,” Iris gasped out between her fit of giggles. “Yes it _ is_.”

_ “I’m going to die.” _

“Barry is going to _ love _ this.”

"_You _love this," Caitlin whined, staring at the ceiling. 

Why. Literally why her. Why this. Why now. Why with him?

No, it wasn’t the fact that it was Cisco that was the problem. Cisco was amazing. Cisco was the best guy Caitlin has ever met. Sensitive and kind, witty and sharp. Intuitive and dorky. Incredibly... handsome. It was true, now that Caitlin let herself think it. It wasn’t that she had thought of him as ugly before, but she’d been too—busy. Busy to take notice in those fine details.

Details like his bronze skin, his fair brown eyes, his strong arms, his thick head of hair. She wanted to run her hands through it, she wanted to hold his hand again. She wanted one of his bone crushing hugs. She wanted every single one of his charming wide smiles to be because of her. His laugh, when he’d dissolve into it and would shove his face into her shoulder. She wanted that again, but with his arms wrapped around her middle. 

She wanted him to call her in the middle of the night because he was thinking about her. She wanted their midnight snacks to be _dates._ She wanted him to text her hearts in the mornings. She wanted him to touch her face again, she wanted his fingers tilting his chin up again to tug her into a kiss. 

She wondered if he’d ever wanted to do that too. Caitlin hid her face in the pillow again. Probably not. 

Definitely not. 

“Okay,” Iris said, getting up from the ground. “Okay okay okay.” She sat next to Caitlin, crossing her legs on the bed. “Cisco is not the worst person to have a surprise crush on.”

“I know,” Caitlin muttered. 

“He’d be super nice about it.” 

_ “I know.” _

Iris hummed. “How are you going to survive tomorrow with him pretending to be your doting boyfriend?”

_ “I don’t know!” _

She just won’t go. She’ll cancel. She’ll go to the late night cafeteria and eat the legendary cursed Mac & Cheese which would guarantee food poisoning. She’d spend the day vomiting instead of getting all cuddly with Cisco. Gross, but worth it, if she wants to keep her dignity in tact. She just needed to get it all out of her system. The crush included.

Caitlin went to fish for her food pass in her abandoned purse. 

“Where are you going?”

“To poison myself.”

Iris leapt out of her bed. _ “No!” _

“Why not? 

“Do you know what he’d do the moment he’d hear you’re sick? He’d come rushing over!”

Caitlin faltered. She hadn’t considered that.

“Remember when you had appendicitis? He brought you strawberry jello at the hospital.”

Caitlin fiddled with her food pass. He did do that. Her nurse threw it out because she was on a liquid only diet for the first day after the surgery. Cisco was also the one who forced Barry to drive her to the hospital when she was being stubborn about the amount of pain she had in her stomach.

“Do you want him to be holding up your hair over the toilet while you puke chunky mac & cheese? Is that what you want, Caitlin?”

_ “Iris.” _

Her roommate steered her back into their dorm and plopped her into the rocking chair.

“You can’t punish yourself for catching feelings for a really sweet guy.” 

“This isn’t any regular sweet guy! This is Cisco!”

“So? You like Cisco.”

Caitlin buried her head in her hands. She doesn’t just _ like _ Cisco. Caitlin likes cloudy mournings and skirts and getting As.

Caitlin _ adores _ Cisco, is what Iris meant. Yes, of course she does. But like _ this? _

Caitlin bit her lip, averting her gaze. “It’s not supposed to be this way.” 

“Says who?”

Nobody said that. Caitlin just made that up. It was a rule, apparently. One she hadn’t even known she had in her head all along. What if she broke her own rules? Could she do that? And why did she have a rule that insisted she couldn’t fall for her best friend anyway? 

Why did she write _ Cisco _when Ronnie texted her if she was seeing anyone.

Why _ Cisco. _ Why him. 

Caitlin stared at Grumpy on the floor. The toy he won for her. The one which he called her his _ Snow Bride _ in order to get. She met her roommate’s scrutiny and said in a small voice, “You think he’d like me?” 

Iris pinched at her nose, exhaling long and heavy. “I need backup.” 

~.~

By two in the morning, Iris and Caitlin had Sue, Kara, Felicity and Patty were all lounged around boxes of pizza on the floor. 

“So like...On a scale from one to ten, how bad is it?” 

“A twelve,” Iris answered for her while updating her Tumblr theme.

“No!” Caitlin reached for her second slice. “It’s a strong seven point five.” 

“It’s a twelve,” Iris reassured Felicity. 

Kara was wearing a matching pyjama set like Caitlin, taking out her contacts at their bathroom sink. “Cisco is so nice though, why are we having a pity party?” 

“It’s not a pity party,” Sue explained, having already heard the gist of the Ronnie situation from Ralph, Cisco’s roommate. She was sworn to secrecy that she would not be leaking any information from this emergency pizza party to her boyfriend in case it got back to Cisco. Ralph had some loose lips.

“It’s a moral support group. She’s currently fake dating him to impress her ex-boyfriend for some reason and now she has to not die.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Patty said. “I mean. Just keep doing what you’re doing. They won’t think it’s weird if you act like you like him if you’re already supposed to be dating.”

“Right,” said Iris. “And he won’t know that anything’s different because he’d just think you’re acting too.” 

Caitlin sighed. They didn’t _ get it. _

Felicity rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I mean are you sure it’s a real crush? What if you’re just touched starved?” 

Caitlin glared at her. “Excuse me, but I am not_ touch starved.” _

“All I’m saying is sometimes I see Ray Palmer in class and go ‘Mmmmm’. And then the next day I see him in the exact same damn polo shirt and go ‘Nope. I feel nothing, I was just horny yesterday.’” 

Caitlin sat up straight. “This isn’t _ like _that.” 

“But how do you know? You literally had no feelings yesterday, and then today you did. Maybe tomorrow they’ll be gone.” 

“Except, the thing is...I think I liked him all along?” Caitlin squeaked out, mumbling into her crust. “I was too dense to realize.” 

All the girls swivelled their heads to look at her with various expressions spanning from shock and thrill to disbelief. Iris cocked her eyebrow at her like she knew all along. 

“Caitlin Snow, ladies.” 

“Oh, you’re screwed,” Felicity said gleefully. Patty smacked her thigh. 

Kara came back to sit in Iris’ blogging chair. “Here’s an idea. Why don’t you turn tomorrow into an experiment?” 

“...?”

Sue pulled out her one earbud, pausing The Office on Netflix. “You mean like ...Caitlin should seduce Cisco?” 

All the blood ran out of Caitlin’s face. Her jaw dropped, scandalized. “You want me to…” She could barely speak the words out loud. “..._ Make _ him fall in love with me?” 

  
Iris’ face lit up. _ “Yes.” _

Kara shared a nervous glance with Patty. “That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind—” 

“If there’s any day of the year to seduce your best friend, it’s while you’re already pretending to date him,” Sue pointed out. 

Caitlin went quiet, listening as the rest of the girls argued about it. 

Seducing Cisco. It felt wrong. That wasn’t right to do. She didn’t want to confuse Cisco, or hurt him. And she wasn’t sure she was ready yet to think about them having sex. Hell, she only just realized she had a thing for him. How would she manage to even attempt that on a double date? She reddened. In front of Ronnie, even. 

The thought was still on her mind after their friends went home. Iris was passed out in her bed, and Caitlin was trying to sleep. Grumpy’s bead eyes glowed in the dark from the floor where Kara had dropped him.

Caitlin got out from under the covers and picked him up. He was soft and cuddly. She eyed Cisco’s jacket too, and refused to be embarrassed as she put it around her, snuggling back into bed. She turned her face into the collar. It smelled like him too. 

_ Seduce Cisco. _

Caitlin plugged in her phone to its charger, her screen lighting up with her unread messages. 

Cisco had sent her a funny meme. 

Maybe not a steamy seduction like the movies...But a kiss, maybe.

She sent a laughing emoji, then followed it with a risky red heart. She quickly turned off her phone, and flipped to the other side, squashing Grumpy to her chest.

Caitlin couldn’t deny that she wanted it. 

~.~

Iris helped Caitlin get dressed for the brunch. They turned on her curling iron and borrowed a sexy bodysuit from their neighbour, Sara Lance. 

When Iris knocked on Sara’s door, and she saw who the bodysuit was for, she went back into her closet to find her “conservative wear."

Caitlin rolled her eyes, eyeing the lace blue off shoulder sleeve fabric now. She was going to wear it with her black jeans, and simply avoid the sun and drink lots of water. 

“You’re having way too much fun with this,” she groused as Iris played around with her hair. 

“This is like the Ryan Choi incident, but a thousand times better.” 

Caitlin pursed her lips, not dignifying that with a response. “It should be red lipstick, right?”

“The reddest,” Iris agreed. 

Caitlin sighed and applied it on. Once everything was put together, Caitlin had to agree with Iris and Sara that she looked hot. Her hair was curled to frame her face, the bodysuit dipped to reveal a hint of her breasts and the smokey eye and red lip completed the look. 

Caitlin twirled in front of the mirror.

“It’s not too much?” 

“No way,” said Sara.

“If Cisco doesn’t eat you by midnight, it’s because he’s been drinking idiot juice,” Iris added.

Caitlin frowned. “Or he just really doesn’t like me that way.”

Sara and Iris shared a look. Sara shrugged. “I mean, I’d say swing by my place and that I could cheer you up but something tells me you’re not that type.”

Caitlin gave her neighbour a shy smile, understanding the implied compliment underneath there. “I’m afraid not.”

Caitlin had ten minutes before Cisco was going to knock on their dorm. “Should I send him a selfie?”

They debated it, but decided not to. They wanted an unprepared reaction to witness in person. 

“Are you really going to do this?” Iris asked her, to be sure. 

“It’s today or never and I shrivel up with my pathetic secret crush on him forever.” 

Iris put a hand on her shoulder. “Or, you can just tell him you have feelings and see what he says.” Iris was only asking because as fun as the seducing plan was to her, she had an inkling Caitlin couldn’t pull it off. 

Caitlin was in pre-med. She could damn pull off anything she put her mind to. 

“He’s going to say no,” Caitlin argued. “He’s never seen me as a potential girlfriend. I have to change his perception of me.” 

“Well...Okay. Go get him, Tiger.” 

Sure enough, Cisco was on time, knocking at the door. To Caitlin’s horror, Iris ran to her and yanked down her bodysuit zipper, then shoved her in his direction. Caitlin hissed at her roommate for the stunt. Now Cisco was going to see her gaping open back! 

Iris grinned wickedly at her as Sara let Cisco in. Oh. _ Oh_.

Caitlin collected her purse and the borrowed jacket. She turned around.

Her stomach swooped like a dip on a rollercoaster. A pink flush creeping up her face. She hoped her blush hid it. Well, at least now she knew that Felicity’s hypothesis about her waking up without feelings for him was wrong. Terribly, massively wrong. 

He wore nice dark wash jeans with a black graphic-t, fresh faced with lightly tousled hair, like he’d recently stepped out of a shower. Gorgeous. 

Caitlin’s inner voice shrieked at her. _ Gorgeous? Did she just call Cisco gorgeous? _

Caitlin swallowed down the dangerous path those thoughts were leading her. She had to stick to the plan. No more awkward disaster crush Caitlin. That was in the past.

Today was a new day, and she was going to take control and reverse the situation. She was going to be fierce Caitlin. Hot Caitlin. Irresistible Caitlin. And hot, fierce, irresistible Caitlin was going to turn Cisco into goo and make him hers. 

She put on her game face. It was a sly grin, and a deliberate bite down on her bottom lip as she checked him out slowly. She fluttered her eyelashes. “Hi Cisco.”

His eyes widened, taking in her appearance but he recovered quickly. “Hey, your shirt is unzipped.”

Caitlin pretended to gasp. “Oh god, how embarrassing.” She swept her curls to the side, standing in front of him. “Can you fix it for me?”

Cisco’s hands were on her bare back, pulling the zipper up carefully. It felt wonderful.

“None of your friends bothered to?” he muttered. She could feel his breath against her neck. Her eyes closed involuntarily, soaking in the moment. It was done up again, and he smoothed the wrinkles away. 

Caitlin turned her head over her shoulder, darting in to kiss his cheek before she lost her nerve, her face heated like fire. “Thank you.”

Cisco froze for a second, stunned by the action. His hand now over his cheek. Caitlin stepped away, avoiding Iris’ massive thumbs up.

“I didn’t get the memo that the brunch was fancy,” he said finally, his elbow was propped up against his other arm as he rested his cheek against his palm casually, as if Caitlin hadn’t just had her lips there. 

“It’s not,” she told him. “I just felt like dressing nicely today.” Caitlin bit her lip again in what she hoped to be an alluring manner. She put her hand on his shoulder, tracing her finger down his shirt. “Do I look nice?”

Cisco frowned at where her hand was. “Is this some competition you’re waging against Sam?”

“No,” Caitlin snapped, letting go. It irritated her that Cisco’s first thought was about her imaginary feud with Ronnie’s girlfriend.

“I’m not allowed to look good?”

Cisco backpedalled, shooting Iris a look. “I never said that.”

Caitlin sighed. “Let’s go.” 

She marched down the hall, only pausing to give a curt greeting to Barry, who had his jaw hanging open as he gawked at her. 

“Dude,” he hissed, smacking Cisco’s chest. Cisco shoved Barry aside, which struck Caitlin as odd. 

Caitlin tapped her foot impatiently with her hand on her hip. “Coming, babe?” 

_ Babe? _Barry mouthed to himself, pointing at the two of them. Iris stepped out of the hall, pulling Barry into her room. 

Cisco took after Caitlin, confused. “I thought you said no pet names like that. And why are you calling me babe loudly in the middle of rez? The walls are thin as hell here, everyone’s going to be thinking we’re a couple by dinner.” 

Yes, that was the plan, hopefully. But Caitlin began to realize she may be over domineering, which was making him uneasy. She’d have to slow into the seduction. Caitlin adjusted her stance, brightening a softer smile and grabbed Cisco’s hand. Cisco’s fumbled in hers a little, not expecting it. But she squeezed and his shoulders untensed and he eventually laced their fingers together. 

“I was practicing,” she said. “I assumed you’d tell Barry afterwards about the truth.” 

Cisco nodded, and they made their way down the stairs to Cisco’s car. “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with you calling me babe though.” 

Caitlin leaned forward so he could smell her perfume. The one he got her for her last birthday. She’d always spritz it on her wrist, but today she put on more at her neck. “Well you got Novia de Nieve for me. What do I get to call you?” 

Cisco took a step back, unsure. “...Um. I don’t know. I thought the names were my thing.” 

“What about sweetheart? Or sweetie or… Oh!” She smirked and led him to his car, jumping up to sit on his roof. She kicked her legs and splayed her arms back with a coy smile. _ “My darling.” _

Cisco went twelve shades of red. 

“Do you want to be my _ darling_, Cisco?” she teased. 

Cisco got into the car and slammed the door shut without an answer. Caitlin’s brows together. She thought she nearly had him there. The horn honked and Caitlin jumped with a yelp. She climbed off the red Honda civic and slunk into the passenger seat with a petulant scowl. _ Damn it. _

“Hey, about yesterday,” Cisco began, turning into an intersection. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Wrong?”

“You sort of skedaddled after I left, and then this morning you were a little...frosty.”

Frosty!?!! _ Frosty!!!!?! _She was trying to be fierce, hot, irresistible! 

Caitlin plugged in the aux cord and pulled up Cisco’s playlist on Spotify. “Nothing wrong, Cisco,” she reassured with a sigh. She tilted her head against the window. “You always do everything right.”

~.~

The brunch place was in a nice area downtown inside a big garden. Cisco and Caitlin met up with Ronnie and Sam there at their table reservation. Caitlin made sure to sit across from Cisco, but beside Sam so that everything aligned with her plan. 

“Wow, cool place,” Ronnie said, touching the daisy petals in the flowerbed beside him. “Is the food good?” 

“I’ve never actually been here,” Caitlin admitted, watching Sam fawn over the menu in the corner of her eye. “But our friend Sue recommended it.” 

Ronnie cocked an interested eyebrow. “Sue?” 

“My roommate’s girlfriend,” Cisco explained. “The double jointed guy I talked to you about who practices contortion.” 

“Ah,” Ronnie said, opening his own menu. “Yes. Ralph. I remember hearing about him. The guy who sweats on his futon.”

Caitlin looked between Cisco and Ronnie, suddenly a little nervous. “You two still talk?” 

Cisco made a weird noise, and so did Ronnie, affronted. 

“Cait,” he said. Ronnie language for _ duh_.

“Ronnie was our best friend, of course we still talk.” 

Caitlin sipped her water, avoiding his eyes. Somehow that never came to mind. She thought only she and Ronnie kept in touch.

How much does Ronnie know? Did Cisco confide in him about his relationships over the years? Kendra, Cynthia? Did he know this entire thing was fake? That Cisco would never really go for someone like her? That their relationship was a mountain of lies?

  
  
No. Of course not. Cisco would’ve told her. 

“Right,” she said, fixing her mistake. She nudged Sam’s shoulder. “Those two know each other so well. We need to get on their level.” 

Sam grinned. “Absolutely, I totally agree.” She wiggled in her seat a bit, checking out Caitlin’s outfit. “I forgot to tell you before, but you look so nice!” 

“Thank you!” Caitlin enthused, smoothing down the shirt unnecessarily. 

Cisco took a piece of complimentary bread and buttered it. “She’s beautiful,” he muttered to his knife. “She always is.” 

  
Caitlin’s heart stuttered in her chest. Did he really mean that? It sounded too honest to be fake. Before she could think up a reply, the waiter came to take their orders. 

Caitlin grabbed Cisco’s hand over the table where it was resting casually as he talked to Sam about her newest robotics project, a conversation they had picked back up from yesterday. He stammered when she did so, but she only smiled sweetly, uncurling his fingers so she could lay her hand on top of his. 

“Cisco, darling,” she started, feeling his hand jump underneath hers at the name. “Didn’t you say Ralph was going to sleep over at Sue’s tonight?” 

Cisco nodded slowly, not understanding the sudden interruption. Caitlin nudged her foot under the table with his, linking them together. Cisco pulled his back. “Well, that means you’ve got the dorm to yourself tonight, right?” Caitlin traced her fingers up his palm, trailing them up his arm. He watched her do it, hypnotized. 

“...Yeah,” he said hoarsely. 

“So after the drive-in movie, can I sleep over?” 

Cisco bristled. Caitlin pulled her hand away. “Or not.” 

He eyed Ronnie and Sam, who’ve gone quiet. “No,” he said quietly. “You can come over.” 

“Yeah?” she breathed. 

“You want to?” The question was said weirdly. Like he needed to hear it again. 

“Do you want me to?” she countered, chewing on her bottom lip. Cisco couldn’t stop himself from watching her do that, his grip tightening around his glass of water. They stared at each other, a silent sort of conversation. They were pros at this, used to have many. Cisco was sending her a gazillion befuddled signals while she merely kept the invitation open.

_ Take it, _ she willed at him. _ Just take it. _

The tension broke with Ronnie’s unsubtle fake cough. 

Cisco flattened his expression with nonchalance. “Sure. Sounds good.” 

“Looking forward to it,” Caitlin found herself saying, retreating her hand. But if that was a game they just played, she feels Cisco got the upper hand. 

Their food came soon after, and as Sam was receiving her crepes Caitlin’s thigh buzzed. 

**Iris:** _Make. Cisco. Thirsty._

Caitlin suppressed a groan. She was trying!!!!

Caitlin had ordered waffles while Cisco had pancakes, and while his looked delicious, they could not top the whipped cream, chocolate flaked Belgium waffle goodness sitting in front of her. She couldn’t help but smirk at his puppy eyes at her plate. 

She was supposed to make Cisco thirsty? Well, okay. 

Caitlin placed her napkin on her lap and picked up her cutlery, cutting into the stacked masterpiece. 

“You don’t want maple syrup?” Sam asked. 

Cisco laughed at that. “Oh no, don’t get her started.” 

Caitlin rolled her eyes, playful. “It’s not a crime to dislike copious amounts of sugar.”

“Says the girl with the mountain of whipped cream.” 

She took a slow bite, sliding the fork into her mouth under his watchful gaze. Caitlin licked her lips, smiling when he seemed stuck at the motion.

“Mmm,” she moaned. “Whipped cream is so much better than sticky, messy syrup anyway.” 

Caitlin continued eating, but Cisco hadn’t touched his food. 

“You okay?” 

“—Yeah. Yes. It’s just that. You have, um. Whipped cream on your face.” 

“Oh I do? I didn’t know!” Caitlin in fact, did know. 

Instead of grabbing her napkin like she knew he’d expect, she leaned over the table, turning her cheek towards him so he could do it for her. 

Cisco hesitated, but reached forward, brushing the pad of his thumb against the corner of her lips. Caitlin did her best not to shudder under his touch.

It was bold, what she was doing. She knew it was. But then Cisco pulled back and casually darted out his tongue to swipe at the cream there, and Caitlin nearly had a heart attack at how hot it looked.

He brought his hand down to his lap, wiping it on his napkin, and nodded back at her. “Okay. You win. It’s good.” 

Caitlin cut half of her top waffle in half, offering it to him. “You want some?”

Cisco replied eagerly, and they began sharing their food. 

Ronnie and Sam were watching them with unreadable expressions. 

“Do you ever like, try to eat food with your friends in a public restaurant only to get a front row view to some odd foreplay?” Sam said rather loudly to her boyfriend. 

Ronnie heaved a sigh, stabbing his own fork into his omelet. “Only with these two.” 

Cisco blushed, reeling back from the sausages he was trying to steal from her plate as they play fought with their utensils. “Sorry.”

He reached for the syrup, finally drowning his beloved breakfast foods with the stuff Caitlin couldn’t stand. 

Caitlin smiled down at her lap, noticing the way he was flustered while having fun with her. They were always quirky, but Cisco being bashful about it was something new. He laughed to himself, his face all lit up in the way it only got with her. 

Maybe Caitlin didn’t need to be fierce, sexy, irresistible to worm her way into Cisco’s heart. 

Maybe she was already halfway there by being herself. 

Her thigh buzzed again when Ronnie was going down memory lane. 

**Iris:** _Well!? Does he thirst? _

**Caitlin:** _I think so. maybe. _

“Do you remember that time we had that group project and Hartley kept telling us we had the water cycle wrong?”

Cisco snorted into his pancakes. “He said I drew evaporation incorrectly.” 

“Because you did!” Caitlin argued, her chin in the palm of her hand, phone now properly tucked away. “Evaporation is represented by arrows or squiggly lines. You put nothing.”

“Because you can’t _ see _ evaporation, Caitlin.” 

Ronnie pointed his fork at Sam. “Cisco got us all in trouble for incomplete homework. Caitlin had to elaborately explain to Mr. DeVoe what happened.”

Sam crinkled her eyebrows together at that story. “And where were you when this happened?” 

Ronnie laughed. “It was an oral presentation. I was holding the poster up while they persuaded the art of invisible science and then I had to type it all up in our report.” 

Caitlin thought back fondly at the memory. Even at 13 they had each other’s back. 

“Have I ever said thank you for that?” Cisco asked her. 

She shook her head and leaned forward for a kiss. “You can now.”

Cisco did not take her bait. Instead, he tapped her nose. “Later,” he lied. 

Annoyance slithered down Caitlin’s throat. 

She knew now he wanted this. That he wanted her, at least on a subconscious level. That had to be it. 

Yesterday Cisco was the one with the improv, being the lead in selling their relationship as the real deal. But today he was being uncooperative. He wasn’t making first moves like he did before, and he was not reciprocating all her open invitations. All her eyelash fluttering and hand in palm listening to his stories and stroking of his arm and hand was getting to him, she was sure. It must be like how it was with Caitlin.

He’s shy and jittery because he _ wants _.

What more does she have to do for him to get the memo he can _ take? _

After lunch, the couples split ways to recharge, making plans to meet up again in the evening for the drive in theatre. Ronnie had a few more friends he wanted to catch up with, and Cisco had some unfinished assignments for his class the next day. 

When Cisco got into his car, he let out a big sigh, slumping against the steering wheel.

Caitlin arched an eyebrow at his theatrics, unsure what his deal was. 

He swore under his breath, banging his head with frustration, and muttered something about wanting the day to be over. His words hit her feelings like a bucket of cold water.

Since when was fake dating her that difficult? Was she really that hard to pretend to like? She swallowed down her hurt, and buckled her seatbelt. 

“You can drop me off at the dorm if you want,” she said, trying not to sound too sullen.

He lifted his mop of hair to look at her pitifully. “Why would I do that?” 

Caitlin stammered, confused. “So you can get rid of me for a few hours?”

He frowned too. “Why would I want to get rid of you?”

Caitlin didn’t have a response to that. He softened, noticing, and turned in his seat, grabbing her hand. 

Caitlin bit her lip, letting him do so. His thumb ran over the back of her hand. “Look, I’m just tired about all the lying. It’s taxing on my nerves. I would feel better if we just came clean at the movies. Then we can drop the act and let the rest of the night happen as a group of friends.”

“I don’t want that,” Caitlin said. “It’s only a few more hours.” 

He sighed. “It’s _ wrong _.”

_ It doesn’t have to be! _

“Cisco. You promised.” It wasn’t even about her embarrassment anymore. It wasn’t about Ronnie. Who cared if he found out she was lying about not being single? Who cared if he was living his best life with Sam, a really deserving girl?

Cisco had grown tired of pretending to love her, and she’d have to look everyone in the eye afterwards still wishing he were hers when he never was to begin with. 

“You bribed me, you mean,” he retorted. “With that singular comic con ticket.” 

“I’ll go with you!” she blurted, then immediately cringed. Ugh. Comic con. 

But his instant beam made it worth it. “I’ll find another ticket and go with you!” she promised. 

He turned back to start the ignition. “Think about that real hard, Miss Snow. I’m cosplaying this year. Can you manage walking around for potentially eight hours with me while I’m in full costume?” 

As much as she hated it, she loved him more. 

“I’m aware.” 

A moment and then they were on the road. “I guess I’ll deal.” 

At Cisco’s dorm room, Ralph greeted them by opening the door with his toes and foot. 

Caitlin grimaced, stepping aside, making a mental note to never touch the doorknob again until she managed to disinfect it with a clorox wipe. Cisco rolled his eyes, beyond used to Ralph’s contortions. 

“So how did the date go?” Ralph asked.

“Fake date,” Cisco stressed. “_ Fake _ date.”

Caitlin pulled a face at his emphasis. There was no need to say it _ twice _.

She sat down at the edge of his bed as Cisco booted up his computer, already talking science. Caitlin chattered with him, knowing he liked to think out loud. She caught her reflection in the mirror.

The bold lip and eyes with Sara’s bodysuit was a bit much. 

She sighed. Caitlin had to admit operation sexy brunch was an utter fail. She grabbed a Kleenex and began to rub the red stain off. Cisco went for fiery women. Like Cynthia Reynolds, Kendra Saunders and Lisa Snart.

Caitlin felt if she dressed and acted in a way that resembled them, maybe he’d see her different. And yes, she felt good, and she looked hot, but the lace and cleavage and snapping sass wasn’t exactly...well....Caitlin. 

And if Cisco were to fall in love with her, what would she do then? Borrow Sara’s wardrobe for the remainder of that relationship? Pretend to be hot, fierce, irresistible at all times when she really just didn’t know how? When instead of seduction, she just really wanted her kiss.

Her lips curled up in disgust at her own desperateness. Why was it that she had to make him _ thirsty? _

No wonder he thought all of this was an act. She could flirt her way, blush her way, and madly hope he notices. Pathetic and lame, maybe, but staple behaviour she exhibited while crushing. Caitlin decides that’s how she’ll finish the rest of Kara’s quote unquote ‘experiment’. She’ll just be his best friend...But more.

And if, _ if _he wants her, really wants her the way she hopes, then it’ll happen. Tonight, in the back of Ronnie’s truck, nestled into Cisco’s side as they watched a movie in the drive in field under a bed of stars. Romantic and rustic and genuine, like the way two best friends who maybe loved each other should. 

Caitlin broke from her reverie when Ralph tapped her knee. 

“Paging Caitlin Snow?” 

She snapped back to reality.

"Wow,” Ralph mused. “That trick_ does _ work.” 

He was offering her a glass of water. She took it and thanked Ralph silently. 

She looked back down at her outfit. Clearly she hadn’t planned ahead. This wouldn’t be comfortable enough to keep on all day. “You wouldn’t happen to have any of Sue’s clothes lying around, would you?”

She still had Cisco’s jacket that she borrowed in her car, but she would need to wear something under it. 

After looking around, Ralph found some of Sue’s leggings but nothing to wear with it.

Cisco, overhearing the entire thing as he typed up his lap report, spoke up from his desk. “She can wear one of old my shirts. There’s a few smaller ones I keep in case I need it fabric for a project.”

Cisco rolled over in his twirly office chair and opened a drawer. He pulled out a few stuffed in the back. All graphic tees, of course. Not her style at_ all _, and a week ago she’d never be caught in public with a shirt that had an image of a ...rubber duck...but she grabbed it now, clutching the shirt to her chest. 

Caitlin excused herself to their bathroom to change, tying Cisco’s graphic tee with a spare elastic at the front. It wasn’t too big that she _ needed _ to do that, but regardless of her new massive crush, that eyesore duck needed to be shielded from the public at least _ somewhat. _

She had feelings for Cisco, not gotten a personality transplant. 

She reemerged in the leggings and and new shirt, folding Sara’s bodysuit carefully as she did so, missing Cisco’s reaction. 

When she finally did look up, Cisco was awfully busy with his printer, playing around with its settings. Ralph looked like he was trying to hold in a laugh. Caitlin pursed her lips, wanting in on the joke. 

Caitlin spent the next fifteen minutes texting with Iris as Ralph packed up a bag to spend the night with Sue and Cisco stapled his work together, organizing it into his bag. 

Soon it was almost time to go. Caitlin picked up Sara’s bodysuit to bring to the car. 

“Caaaaaaitlin,” Cisco said a while later, dragging out her name the way he did when he had something on his mind. 

“Yes?” 

“Where you serious before, about spending the night here? Or was that what Sam said, some fake weird foreplay?” 

Caitlin blushed. She crossed a line there, she knew she had. “Um. I thought it would be fun?” 

He narrowed his eyes, onto her. “Where would you sleep? Ralph’s _ futon?” _

“What if we shared your bed?” 

Cisco blinked at her. “It’s a twin.” 

Yeah, Caitlin had to admit, glancing at the bed. It was cramped. They’d spend time there watching Netflix or groaning about school, _ or propositioning to fake date, _but to actually climb into that little mattress to share with the purpose of sleep (or more..)? Never happened. Besides, that wasn’t what Cisco was really asking her. 

He was asking her _ why? Why do you want to sleep in my bed? Why are you acting so funny? Why are you throwing yourself into this fake dating role like an Oscar award relies on it? _

Because that was her godawful attempt at seduction because she forgot how to_ flirt, _ dummy. 

“We don’t _ have _to,” she said instead. 

  
  
Cisco’s throat bobbed, his mouth parting like he wanted to say more, but Caitlin’s phone rang, interrupting him. Caitlin pulled her phone out of her bag. “It’s Ronnie.” 

Cisco sighed and nodded, and Caitlin answered the call. 

Ronnie had just wanted to confirm the time of the movie, since they were heading back from his friends’ place. That was their cue to wrap up and go too. Cisco opened his cabinet and took out a heap of blankets. 

“What are those for?” 

He smiled sheepishly at her. “If we’re going to be spending two and a half hours in the back of Ronnie’s truck, I might as well make it comfy.” 

Caitlin agreed. It was a good idea. She helped bring down some extra pillows and brought them down to the car.

~.~

Once at the drive-in, which was a public field transformed for these events once every two weeks, Cisco parked and went in search for Ronnie and Sam. Caitlin followed behind, waving to a few college friends she had classes with who were also there. 

“What movie is it?” Caitlin asked as Cisco held out his hand, helping her climb into the back of Ronnie’s truck. 

“The newest Spider-Man,” he told her. 

It was in a good spot, since they came early, with a perfect view of the projector. Two older men bent over the screen, fiddling with the settings. 

Cisco and Ronnie shared a look. 

“Do you think they need help?” asked Ronnie. 

Cisco studied the baby boomer tech supports. “I’d give them another ten minutes.” 

Caitlin busied herself with spreading Cisco’s blankets around the floor, pushing Ronnie’s toolbox to the side. 

Sam helped, bringing up casually. “You must know this car pretty well.” 

Caitlin side-eyed her while fluffling a pillow. “Not particularly. It was his graduation gift. We broke up later that summer.” 

“Oh,” she said.

“Ronnie never told you about how that went down?” 

“No.” Sam worried her bottom lip as the boys argued over the tech supports’ abilities. “Should I be worried?” 

“Absolutely not,” Caitlin reassured her. “We just knew we were too young to commit to long distance.” She sighed, but didn’t mean to, thinking about Ronnie. A part of her, the 16 year old Caitlin Snow which still lived in her heart, will always love him. “Ronnie’s amazing.” 

Sam grabbed her bag of snacks, pulling Cisco’s abuela’s quilt over her legs. Her blonde kinky hair bounced as she settled down, twisting the quilt together in her fingers. Sam stared down at her lap and blushed, the first time Caitlin had seen her do so all weekend. “I know. I love him.” 

Caitlin was happy for her. They watched as Cisco and Ronnie couldn’t stand not intervening anymore, offering the hosts their tech savvy guidance. 

“What about you?” 

Caitlin smiled at the way Cisco patted the man’s back, as if to say. _ Don’t worry fellas, your projector’s about to get Cisco-ed. _

“Cait?” 

“Hmm?” 

Sam followed her gaze and went ‘ah’. 

“I don’t blame you,” Sam whispered as Cisco pressed the button, the Toshiba symbol zinging across the screen, as it came to life. “Cisco seems like the kinda guy you just instantly fall in love with.” 

Caitlin pressed her cheek against her knees and sighed. The sun just dipped below the horizon, bright streaks of orange highlighting the darkening sky like Caitlin’s own personal final warning of the day’s end.

Cisco and Ronnie’s figures turned into shadows against the projector, now cued at the DVD menu. 

Sam summed it up pretty well. 

~.~ 

“Wait, so Spiderman is dating Zendaya?” she whispered to Cisco, about fifteen minutes after the movie started. It was dark and the field was packed. Quiet too, except for the sound of the loudspeakers and the popping of the confectionary stand making popcorn a little distance away. 

Cisco leaned over to speak in her ear. “No, that’s MJ.” 

“But they said her name was Michelle. And I thought he was dating this girl Stacey.” 

“Oh my god,” Sam groaned. “Please tell me she’s so confused because she’s in fact an avid fan of DC.” 

“Nope,” Cisco said, popping the p. 

Caitlin felt herself flush, curling into Cisco’s side at their teasing. It wasn’t her fault she had other things to do with her precious free time other than watch the same five heroes resurrect and die again. 

“We tried watching _Into The Spider-Verse_, but she fell asleep halfway through. The same thing happened with _Spider-Man 2_ two years ago. Conked out the second Aunt May was on screen.” 

_ “Cisco,” _she groaned. 

“I’m just messing with you, Novia de Nieve,” he whispered fondly. 

He played with her hair, looping his hand around a curl, and pulling at it gently. Whatever it was that had Cisco so uncomfortable seemed to have melted away with the prospect of getting to watch one of his favourite comic con movies. Caitlin was relieved, glad that things had returned to somewhat normal. He drew her into his warmth, wrapping a comforting arm around her waist like the day before at the carnival.

Caitlin missed this dearly.

They watched the movie together with the blankets thrown over them, Cisco helping her keep up when she got lost. Somehow, in the need to hear Cisco’s explanations without it annoying Ronnie and Sam, she had ended up in his lap. 

With the way his hand kept running up and down the side of his Ducky Shirt on her, Caitlin wasn’t sure if either of them minded.

About halfway through, Cisco shifted something out of his pocket. Jujubes. The ones she bought him as a bribe so she could get into this mess.

“I saved you the yellow ones,” he said quietly, not even taking his eyes off the screen. 

Because the yellow ones were her favourite. Because he kept candy in his pockets for times like these. Because he was Cisco, with the concentrated crease in his forehead as he watched a movie he’d seen with Barry three times in the theatres already. Cisco with the hair which blew slightly in the wind, and his blankets wrapped up around his shoulders because he thought comfort would make the viewing experience deluxe.

Cisco, who owned rubber duck shirts and green jackets, and lent them to his best friend he was faking to date because she was a cold idiot. Cisco with the quirky sayings and magic fingers, who jumped up to help two men who couldn’t figure out how to plug in a simple cord extension. Cisco, who called her his _ Snow Bride _.

Cisco, with those eyes and lips, inches away from hers.

Caitlin’s breath caught in her throat. This was it. This was her moment. She reached up, cupping his face with her hand, her heart thudding in her chest. His eyes met hers, tearing away from Peter Parker. His mouth parted, surprised. Caitlin leaned in, closing her eyes and Cisco—

Cisco gently pries her hands from his face. Caitlin blinked her eyes open, his were pleading, _ No. Please don’t. _

Caitlin got up abruptly, suddenly unable to breathe. 

“—_ Popcorn _,” she choked out, and scrambled in her haste to detangle her legs from all the blankets. 

“Caitlin—” 

She turned around, slapping on a tight smile for her friends. “I’ll be right back—I just. We need—_ Popcorn _.” 

She all but ran to the stand, her mind racing. 

She knew it was a possibility. That Cisco just didn’t want this. That he didn’t want her. And she understood that, god, of course she did. How would Caitlin have responded if he’d tried to kiss _ her _ three weeks ago? She’d probably play dead like a possum, too stunned to process. They were supposed to be best friends. Obviously. _ Obviously. _ They’ve been since middle school, and not once, not once had the idea of Cisco & Caitlin becoming _ CiscoandCaitlin _crossed her mind.

Not when they were twelve, not at fourteen when they were locked in a closet by Lily Stein, and they’d spent the seven minutes talking about tree frogs. Not when Caitlin saved his skin ranting about invisible science to Mr. DeVoe.

Not at junior prom when Cisco danced with her as Ronnie caught Lexi Laroche spiking the fruit punch. Not at graduation, when he spun her around in their matching gowns, because they were going to the same college.

Not at Iris’ infamous Halloween party last year, when he’d sprouted drunken nonsense about what an angel she was, petting her feather wings from Walmart in the back of the cab.

Not now. 

Until yes, now. Yes now, and tomorrow and probably every time she heard his laugh forever. Yes now, for Caitlin. Just not for him. 

But it hurt. It hurt_ so _ bad. Caitlin swallowed down her hiccup as tears burned down her throat. She won’t cry to the popcorn man. She won’t cry. She won’t cry. _ Don’t cry. _

A little boy grabbed his change in front of her, stepping away with his giant bag of popcorn. The man waited for her to fork over her three dollars. Caitlin patted down her pockets of Cisco’s jacket, just realizing she Usain Bolted out of there without her wallet. 

“Here.” Someone passed the popcorn man six dollars, their arm brightening in the overhead lamp glow in front of her.

Ronnie. 

Caitlin crumbled, pressing her face against his checkered shirt as she cried in mortification. 

“Oh Cait,” he sighed. He rubbed her back. 

“It’s not real,” she blubbered. “None of it. It was fake. I faked it. I _made_ him do it because I thought my life was —_boring_ compared to yours at UCLA. And I didn’t have Sam’s bouncy hair or a _boyfriend_ with bouncy hair. And I hate robotics and pre-med is so _hard. _Oh my god I hate—” She took a deep gulping breath, “I hate bodysuits, you can’t _pee_ in them— I don’t _understand _how Spider-Man _works_ and—” She heaved. “I’m—in love with—_Cisco.” _

“I know.” 

Caitlin pulled back, tearful. “No, you don’t. You don’t get it. It’s unrequited. _ We’re not a couple.” _

“I know.” 

Caitlin rubbed at her eyes, about to explain more, but his words caught up in her wrought out brain. “...You do?” 

Ronnie grabbed the two popcorns, one in each arm, and nodded at the opposite direction of his truck. Caitlin followed, grateful for the long walk. 

“I figured it out at brunch. Caitlin, you were making terrible innuendo about sleeping with Cisco over waffles. You _ hate _ PDA. You love your privacy.”

  
  
Caitlin sniffled. He was right. “Sue thought I should seduce Cisco to make him fall in love with me,” she said, pitiful. She should’ve listened to Kara Danvers. 

“You mean the girl with the..?”

  
  
Caitlin glared at her tiger striped leggings she had borrowed. “Yeah. Sue. Ralph’s girlfriend.”

“Uh huh.” 

“She had good intentions.” 

Caitlin grabbed one of his popcorn bags, the popped kernels looking delicious just about now. She stuffed a handful into her mouth, then swiped more wetness from her cheeks with the back of her salty hand. “I just thought...I thought he wanted this. It seemed like he did, but I read it all wrong.” 

Ronnie didn’t say anything, only pointed at the park bench on the sidewalk outside the field. Caitlin hadn’t realized they wandered so far. 

“I was so happy to see you,” Ronnie told her after they sat down. “I missed you a lot. I missed my Cait.” 

Caitlin’s mouth twisted into something of a smile. She had heard Sam use that nickname on her just a while ago. That was Ronnie’s nickname. She would’ve only learned it from him. 

“I missed you too.” 

“And I never wanted you to feel you had to fake your life for me. I’d still think you’re killing it if you told me you were the next star for Disney’s live action of Ratatouille, and that it would be filmed in the sewer, I swear.” 

A snort. “I had an emergency pizza party last night when I was panicking.” 

“Pizza?” Ronnie smirked. “Good girl.” His grin fell, and it went quiet. 

“I lost my scholarship.” 

Caitlin nearly dropped her bag of popcorn. “What?!?” 

“Yeah.” He glanced at her. “I spent a semester partying and kind of spiralled out of control. By the time finals came around I was too far behind to keep up so they cut me from the program.” 

“I’m so sorry.” She had no idea. All his Snaps and Instagram stories, the parties and the fun. Caitlin was too focused on the fact she wasn't doing any of those things, that she hadn't stopped to consider maybe Ronnie was doing _too much_ of them. 

Ronnie shrugged. “It’s alright. I’m just no longer an honours student. And I have to pay for my tuition now like everybody else. So please, don’t feel like you’re not up to my standard. Cisco’s been telling me about all the hours you put in at the student clinic. I wish I was up to _ yours_.”

“And Sam is your one, isn’t she?” 

He couldn’t keep his affection out of his voice if he tried. “You think so?” 

She thought back to Sam’s quiet confession. “Have you told her you love her yet?” 

“I will. Soon.” 

“You should.” 

Ronnie gave her a sidelong glance. “And you know you should tell Cisco and clear up whatever the hell you two got yourselves into.” 

Caitlin sighed, diving her hand into the popcorn for the sake of it. “Ronnie.” 

But Ronnie stood up, taking his popcorn bag to bring to his girlfriend to catch the end of the movie. Caitlin glanced over her shoulder.

Cisco was making his way towards them. Her stomach swooped with nerves once again. She wiped at her face once more, but there wasn’t much use. 

Cisco stuck his hands in his pockets, sitting down stiffly on the bench. He ran a hand through his hair. Caitlin wanted to do it for him, she’d been resisting the urge all day. She wanted to pull the move he did on her, he wanted to touch his face and his heart the same way. Her fingers ached for it. She stuffed them in her lap instead.

“Hi,” he said after a lengthy silence. 

“Hi,” she croaked. 

A beat. Peter Parker started whooping about something, the field cheering along with him. Caitlin guessed he must’ve defeated some bad guy. 

“I’m sorry for—”

“I didn’t realize—”

They both stopped. Cisco took a breath. Caitlin let him continue, afraid of what he was going to say, but knowing she needed to hear it. 

“I didn’t realize this was real,” he said at last. “I didn’t know you were acting so weird because of _ me_. I thought it was because of Ronnie.”

“I’ve been over Ronnie since the Ryan Choi incident.” 

Cisco gave a low chuckle. “Yes, but then you demand me to pretend to be your boyfriend because he’s back with his own new girl. Talk about mixed signals.”

Caitlin understood his point. “I told you it wasn’t _ like _ that.”

“You also told me, when I thought you were asking me out, _ ‘Ew! No!’” _His face twisted with hurt, like the entire thing had offended him.

Caitlin’s mind reeled back to that day. _ Had it? _

She didn’t know. But in light of recent developments, that instant reaction did sound insensitive. 

_ “Because I’m an idiot!” _she groaned. 

_ “ _You’re an idiot for liking me?” Cisco deadpanned. 

“—No—You’re getting confused.”

_ “I’m confused? _I always knew what I want!” 

“...What was it that you wanted?” she asked. 

Cisco stared at her. And stared.

Oh. _ Oh! _

The butterflies in her stomach erupted into a joyous dance. But then, he used the word _ always_.

_ Always? _

She jumped up, and kernels went flying. “I thought we were best friends, Cisco!” Hence the panic and the emergency pizza party and the seduction and the fluttering eyelashes and the agonizing anxiety. 

He laughed in disbelief. “Barry and I are best friends. Iris and I, are best friends. Caitlin. You’re my _ you_.” 

“Your me?” she echoed dumbly. 

He scoffed. “Like you really didn’t know _ Ronnie _ knew I had a massive crush on you since ninth grade.” 

Caitlin’s brain was turning into mush between her ears. “I—I didn’t.” 

Cisco laughed again, running his hand through his hair. It seemed to be the only thing he could do. “Why did you think Ronnie believed the lie so easily? It had nothing to do with this fiasco. We were terrible actors.”

“Sam bought it,” she grumbled. 

“She just met us yesterday.” 

Cisco continued. “And the things you were_ doing _ today,” he laughed dryly, dragging his hand down his face. “Don't get me wrong. You were terrible at it, but it's not like that _mattered_. Caitlin, you were driving me _ crazy.”_

_“ _Really?” 

“From the moment you gave me the okay to call you Novia de Nieve. By the time I was zipping up the damn bodysuit, I felt like I was going insane.” 

“I thought _ I _ was going insane,” she muttered. “One minute I thought you wanted me and the next you acted like you don’t.” 

“For my own _ sanity_, Caitlin,” Cisco stressed, gesturing wildly. “I knew if I went there, if _ we _ went there for the sake of an _ act_, I’d never get over it. Never get over _ you. _ I needed some distance to breathe. I kept reminding myself: _ Fake date fake date fake date fake date!!!!11111!!!!111!!1!! _on a loop in my head.” 

Oh yes, she remembered that muttering from his dorm room. 

Caitlin dropped the popcorn bag to the ground, sitting next to him on the bench. Cisco pulled his legs up to make room. She sat gingerly, staring out at the park and the line of vehicles and fold up chairs.

They didn’t say anything for a while. Caitlin thought deep and hard. She had wanted Cisco to fall for her so desperately, that when he didn’t respond to her forward advances, she grew cross at him. 

Turns out he had plenty of practice to school his reactions. Years worth, even. 

“But you dated other girls. And you told me you were in love with Cindy.”

“What was I supposed to do? Not date? Sit around twiddling my thumbs waiting for you to stop thinking of me as a brother?” His voice wasn’t unkind, but the resignation was there. 

Caitlin frowned. “What if I didn’t. What if this weekend never happened?” 

“Then it never happened,” he sighed. “And another Cynthia Reynolds or Caitlin Snow comes my way. This is why I never told you.” 

“So you weren’t... waiting for me?”

“No,” he said automatically, then made a guilty face. “I don’t know. Maybe a little. I wasn’t trying to.”

Her heart broke for him. Today must’ve been a twisted kind of hell. This could’ve all been so simple. She swung her legs around, copying Cisco’s pose. She drew her knees to her chest so that Cisco’s sneakers touched Caitlin’s glittery sandals. 

“I’m an idiot,” she said again, rather pointedly. 

Cisco’s knees pressed against hers. “No,” he promised. “No, you’re not. Things just got messy. I never should’ve agreed to be your fake boyfriend. I knew going into it I was in trouble.”

Caitlin laughed, shaking her head. Tentatively, she linked her ankle around his, slotting her leg between his so that they were tangled together, their skin flushed warm, close enough to whisper. “I’m glad we did it. I learned some things about myself.” 

Cisco’s mouth tugged upwards. “Like what?”

She blew an unkempt curl from her eyes. “I need to stop comparing myself to Ronnie, for one thing. And I _ am _ over him.”

“I’m sure Sam’s super happy about that,” he replied dryly. 

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “But I definitely have a type.”

Cisco raised an eyebrow. “Yes. I know. Ryan Choi. Ronnie Raymond. You go for the Rs.”

Caitlin spluttered. “—What? No! That’s a coincidence! I was going to say—Dark hair. Brown eyes. Super smart. You.”

Cisco reddened. “Oh.” 

Caitlin beamed. She flustered him! He’s rendered speechless because he knows she likes him! What glorious payback.

He shifted, rummaging through his pocket for a candy to break the tension. He still had the bag of yellow jujubes. “You know what else I have?”

“What?” 

He offered her the baggie. She took them, but didn’t eat any. 

Cisco unwrapped the plastic and popped the red sucker into his mouth. Caitlin tried to avoid looking there and utterly failed. That never used to bother her before yesterday. She could see now that it will for the foreseeable future. 

“An R. I used to play that game in my head. If Caitlin wants an R, I can give her one too.”

“How?”

“I’d give you a proposition.” Cisco waggled his eyebrows playfully. “You’d get your R by becoming Mrs. Ramon. My Novia de Nieve.” 

Caitlin squeaked into her balled up fist, turning her head so she could hide her burning face with her hair. When she managed to snuffle out her embarrassment, she swallowed down her candy and straightened her shoulders. This was her best friend. This was Cisco. So what if he gives her butterflies now? They bantered all the time. This was what they do. 

“That’s a proposal, not a proposition, and who says I would just take your name? Iris has been telling me all about husbands taking the name of their wives, or women not changing theirs at all.”

Instead of the scowl she expected, Cisco’s face broke out into a toothy grin. “I knew you’d say that.”

She giggled into the palm of her hand. “Are we really bickering over what my married name would be before we even get together?”

Cisco stuck his lollipop out of his mouth. “I mean, I’m having fun. Sorta feels like the drive-in was the first time we’ve been truly ourselves all weekend.”

Caitlin agreed. And it was freeing, and exciting, flirting with Cisco without obsessing over every word or little touch. This was how it was meant to be. 

He tilted his head, squinting at her. 

“You really want to be with me? For real?” 

“I spent the last eight hours trying to _ seduce _ you.” 

He ignored that, going on. “—Because I’d be an excellent real boyfriend. None of this disastrous fake stuff.”

“Oh I don’t doubt that,” she reassured. 

“Constant candy, library distraction and tutor extraordinaire, movie guru, experienced cook…”

“—Is this your resume?”

He snickered, then grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together.

“When you get busy at the clinic I’ll fake an injury just to come see you.” 

“You visit me anyways to ask for more bandaids.” 

“Every time I did that was because Ralph _ needed _ band-aids.” 

“Poor Ralph.” 

He waved his free hand at the dark. “Forget Ralph, why’d I bring him up? This is about me and you.” 

Caitlin’s heart melted. _ Me and you. _It sounded wonderful coming from him. 

“The most important thing about being your real boyfriend, is that I would love you. Of course.”

“Really?” 

“Oh yes. I’ve got plenty of it stored up right here,” he moved their joined hands over his beating heart. “Practically bursting for you.” 

“Let’s seal the deal, then.”

“No more rules,” Cisco whined. 

She put her other hand on his knee, leaning forward. Caitlin licked her lips. “I meant—“

Cisco’s gaze dropped to her mouth. His breath released in a soft exhale. 

“Yeah?” It came out whispered. 

Caitlin’s heart hammered up in her throat. She tilted towards him until he guided her wandering hands around his neck. “Please?”

“Okay,” he replied, but didn’t sound too sure. Cisco’s eyes went back and forth, assessing, checking for hesitation. A sign to stop.

_ Oh Cisco. _

She leaned in, cupping his cheek, then tilting up his chin, stealing his signature move, and kissed him. 

Cisco’s lips were soft and supple, and perfect. And when she pulled away, he made a little noise in the back of his throat, like he wanted more, like it hurt to be torn apart. 

“That was nice,” he commented. 

Cisco’s voice betrayed his words. They were soft and sugary like his candy. His entire being oozing out his affection. Everything that screamed that this was so much more than _ nice. _

“Can we... do that again? Maybe after the movie when you come over for that sleepover you insisted on? Which doesn’t have to be so scary. I can find a sleeping bag or something and we can cuddle together on the floor. Ralph’s futon is off limits, trust me, but maybe Barry has an extra cot and we can squeeze it next to the TV and—”

Caitlin’s eyes crinkled up at the corners as she followed his ramble, still blushing like mad. Why the panic? Why the hysteria? This was Cisco Ramon, the best friend to ever walk this earth. She loved this boy. 

“—Listen, we will make that comic-con a date. Like a real date. Who do you think has a spare ticket, Ray Palmer? Probably. And I swear I won’t embarrass you, at least not that much, but you’d look so cute as—_ mmph!” _

Caitlin kissed him again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Sam is cute. We like Sam.


End file.
